REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT A RECEPTION FOR THE IRISH PARALYMPIC TEAM ÁRAS AN UACHTARÁIN
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT A RECEPTION FOR THE IRISH PARALYMPIC TEAM ÁRAS AN UACHTARÁIN FRIDAY, 10 OCTOBER 2008
Dia dhíbh, a cháirde go léir, agus céad míle fáilte rómhaibh go léir chuig Áras an Uachtaráin inniu.
Good afternoon Paralympians, and welcome to the Áras. Martin and I, and indeed all of us here in the Áras, are delighted - honoured - to welcome you back after your Beijing adventure. On behalf of everyone who loves sport, everyone who followed with great pride your sporting endeavours in Beijing, I am delighted to celebrate your effort and achievements in the second largest sporting event in the world – the Paralympic Games. You are our best and you competed with the world’s best.
Sport makes cruel demands on competitors - the ferocious physical strain, the endless hours of training, the sheer endurance, the wafer-thin margins between winning and losing, the joy of victory and the bitter taste of defeat, the smiles and the tears, and above all the courage to face these elements and persevere regardless.
For the rest of your lives, whether you won medals or whether you didn’t, you will always be Paralympians, members of that tiny band of first-class international sportsmen and women who survived the most testing of ordeals to qualify for Beijing. Each one of you we know sacrificed so much to make the grade, to carry your country’s flag and we take pride in your commitment, your dedication and your performances whatever the outcome.
To the medal winners – Jason, Michael, Darragh and Gabriel - we congratulate you on your great achievement and celebrate your victory for you are among that even smaller elite, Paralympic medallists. We take a very special pride in your thrilling success story that is already a legend.
To the Paralympic Council, the Sports Council, coaches, families, officials, sponsors and supporters, we thank you for everything you did to make this such a successful team. The long hours, the training sessions, the guidance, the encouragement, the sacrifices you had to make to be there for the team – all worth it for the magnificent performances of all our Paralympians. Well done to the Chef de Mission, Jimmy Byrne.
I would like to thank in particular the outgoing Secretary General of the Paralympic Council, Anne Ebbs, for her huge contribution to Paralympic Sport in Ireland over many years.
I see from your website that you have already started the countdown to the next Paralympics in London, measuring it in days, hours, minutes and seconds. Clearly you don’t intend to waste a moment. For you, the preparation starts here and now and we wish you well, and all the new sportsmen and women who will emerge in the next four years inspired by you and determined to have their Olympic day.
I would like to thank the gifted musicians of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann, whose music we are enjoying today. Thanks also to all who have helped with this event, especially the first-aiders and the staff here at the Áras who have all worked so hard to make today a success. Martin and I hope you have a great afternoon.
Comhghairdeachas libh go léir arís. Go raibh maith agaibh.